From F365 Sports minister Andy Burnham insists the Government do accept there has been a "major injustice" 20 years after the Hillsborough tragedy. Everton fan Burnham, the MP for Leigh, was forced to halt his speech at Wednesday's 20th anniversary memorial service at Anfield for the 96 fans who died at Sheffield Wednesday's ground. Liverpool fans chanted "justice for the 96" for a full two minutes before Burnham was able to continue. The service was attended by 28,000 people, and was part-religious service, part-protest rally, part-pop concert, with Gerry Marsden signing 'You'll never walk alone' at the end. It was a remarkable day, seen on TV across the world, and Liverpool fans took full advantage of the exposure. They demonstrated their anger that nobody in public office has ever been convicted of any offence following the 1989 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest, the scene of the country's worst ever sporting disaster. Burnham, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, felt the full force of that anger. Afterwards he gave some hope more information could soon be published to held the justice campaign being run by the Hillsborough Family Support Group. Burnham said: "Twenty years on, the arguments are coming into clearer perspective. All the arguments in the early days about the fans have gone and the country can see clearly now that there has been a major injustice. "It was a difficult judgment leading up to the service, I felt very emotional myself and I was worried about speaking but I think it was the right thing to do. "Ever since the tragedy there have been setbacks and difficulties the families have had to face. I have followed them myself, I know all about them." And he added: "I have been saying all the way leading up to this emotional milestone that there are unresolved issues, I understand that. "I didn't come for plaudits, I came to represent the Government, as I had been asked to do. "There has been a sense of frustration that the country did not recognise the strength of feeling on Merseyside. I am from this area, I have always understood the feeling. "I have never wanted to hold out false hopes but at the same time I do believe strongly that people should have access to the full facts and I am not yet certain that they do." Burnham continued: "Together with Maria Eagle, the local (Garston) MP, we have called for full disclosure of any further documents that have not been put in the public domain and are held by any public body. "Hopefully, that is a small step that might help people. My point is a simple one, that all information should now be out. There is a convention, the 30-year rule for official papers to be held for that length of time. "But my argument to colleagues in Government is that it is inappropriate in this case. People deserve the full facts now, so I will be pursuing that with my colleagues. "I do not want to make any false promises or raise any false hopes but obviously I have understood the reaction that was expressed today at the memorial service. "I have always cared and thought deeply about Hillsborough and will continue to do so. "There has been material written this week that did pick up on some of the issues and the chief constable (of South Yorkshire Police) said he would review further whether there were any documents that could be put into the public domain, and that is a very welcome statement. "Obviously there are a further group of bodies - the ambulance service, the fire service and West Midlands Police - who had a role in the aftermath. "All of those bodies should consider whether there are documents that can now be released."
Fair enough posting it up Frank, I actually thought someone would have posted it up sooner. But there's really nothing to say. He just produced the usual wishy washy shite. Never committed to anything. just danced around the subject. Yesterday he shouldn't have been there imo. But he turned up coz it was "in his schedule" and he got what he knew he'd get. The whole of Anfield asking for justice. Can he provide any assurances that we'll Ever get justice? No. Can he offer anything? No. Why did he bother turning up? Because it's a token gesture. And we've had plenty of those over the last 20 years. Fcuk them and their token gestures. He's just another pawn in the game. Unless they were bringing news of a proper and thorough review into everthing that happned that day, then he's just another clueless prat in a shirt. No business being there.
+1. Completely agree Gary. That's part of the reason I posted it; I wanted to see what people thought of it. As you said, token gesture. To me it's the same as what the BBC reported on Tuesday (and was referenced at the memorial) as the Yorkshire Chief Constable (I think that's who it was?) accepting "responsibility". Again, token gesture, and not an explicit public statement of such, nor an absolute apology.
Exactly Frank, And as for that being a police apology, it was far from it. One fella issuing this satement (Just One Person): Tue, Apr 14 05:37 AM Police constable Tom Whiteley "Clearly people were laid out on the ground. People were being dragged out...were being pulled over the fence, but were still being crushed against the fence." Ambulances could not get on the pitch so police and spectators carried survivors by their arms and legs and on advertising hoardings. Whiteley said: "If you can imagine there were dozens of people and it was just a priority to move them if they could not be resuscitated from an area where more people were filling the space." He added: "The last person I carried was somebody who we'd been trying to resuscitate for several minutes before giving up and at that point we put him on a stretcher and moved him away. All the people I carried were clearly dead. "It's difficult, you make these journeys with these stretchers and you're in full police uniform, you've got your helmet on, you feel like your heart is actually bursting through your chest. "It was a continual flow of people for quite a period of time. The gym was quite a big area and it was full of bodies when we had finished. It's difficult to envisage what over 90 bodies looks like and a difficult situation to deal with." He said many police officers and fans helped, "stepping forward and taking responsibility". "But equally you have got people who were disorientated, police officers who I had known for a considerable amount of time were in tears and disorientated and finding it difficult just to function in that particular situation," he said. "It's 20 years ago and it's difficult to imagine what it's like in that situation, to experience that, the noise, the people, the disorganisation." The thought that he did all he could has helped over the years. The week after the disaster he took up his planned new post at a unit dealing with public disorder at football grounds and sporting events. "I think about it and what else I could have done," he said. "I thought about it for weeks and weeks afterwards and if there had been cutting facilities...I could have used that. But I think with the circumstances I faced I really couldn't have done anymore and that really kept me going." "As part of the inquiry I was asked to come to police headquarters to view pictures of all the dead people and sets of clothing...and I couldn't recognise anybody because of the trauma of the experience," he said. "I couldn't actually bring the facial recognition back to mind. Even now." The events of the day still affect him. "I like to think that I'm someone who can still perform duties when under pressure, but it affected me in a way that always at the back of my mind is Hillsborough." (To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
So what about the other thousands of police officers? What about over Forty Ambulances being turned away while ONE ambulance had to deal with the thousands that lay dying. What about the police using "ramps" as excuses for not letting the ambulances in. What about the rumours that at one stage the police forming a line on the pitch were actually offered flasks of tea? It's fcuking mind-numbing what went on. Burnham and his shite empty hollow plastic words were another sad insult added to all the putrid lies we were forced to read in the Rag all those years ago. And the cheek of the pr!ck to turn up at Anfield empty handed yesterday. He had nothing to offer so he should have stayed the god damn fcuk AWAY!!